Telephone-index.



, F. W. COLBY TELEPHONE INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1916.

1,234,874. Patented July 31, 1917.

Fig". 2

Inventor. Frederick W. Colby WWZW ATW 5.

FREDERICK W. COLBY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TELEPHONE-IN DEX.

Specification of Letters .Patent.

Patented July31, 1917.

Application filed April 27, 1916. Serial N 0. 94,025.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. COLBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Telephone-Indexes, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in a telephone index.

The function of this novel organization is to provide a device wherebya'large amount of data such as names with their respective telephonicdesignations are presented in readily accessible form. While thisparticular device is here disclosed as adapted to be employed as a callnumber index for telephones, it is to be understood that its 7 uses maybe as widely variant as those men- I vention constitutes an improvement.

The general object of this invention is to provide such a device whichis compact, durable, efficient, simple and easily operated.

A more specific object is to provide such a 7 structure having few partswhich are simply and inexpensively formed and can easily and rapidly beassembled by unskilled labor.

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in theannexed claims.

There has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings a selectedembodiment for the purpose of illustration of this invention. Thisembodiment is that preferred form which is adapted for use with anordinary type of telephone instrument, but it-is to be understood thatthe invention is not confined to the exact features shown, 'as variouschanges may be made within its reasonable scope.

In the drawings, 7

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a telephon instrument showing the noveldevice secured thereto;

F ig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section of the cylindrical handle and stud;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of the handle at right angles to Fig. 7 andshowing strip as secured;

Fig; 9 is a perspective of the transverse strip ends.

- In the disclosure herein the index is shown as attached 'to the desktype of telephone in common use. Its attachment and use does not involvedisarrangement or change of the instrument in any manner. Thecylindrical casing 1 is demountably fastened to the upright 2 of theinstrument by clamping means 3, a preferred form of which is hereshown.This casing 1 is preferably formed of va light sheet metal entailing,from a practical standpoint, the advantages both of great durability andlightness of weight. A rotatable member which is designated .as a spool4 is operably supported withinthe casing. The spool 4 is similarlypreferably formed of a light, sheet metal. The indiciabearing member,preferably a strip '5 of flexible material is secured at one of itstransverse ends to the spool 4. The material of which the strip isformed is preferably a fabric in order to provide lightness, strengthand durability. The .Spool is rotatably supported within the casingunder such suitable tension that the strip is normally retained woundabout the rotatable spool, but, projecting through a longitudinal slotin the casing, may be withdrawn against the tension to present thedesired indicia to view. The other strip end is-provided with ahandle 6of such size that it may not .enter within the casing slot.

The fabric strip 5 at eachof its transverse ends, here shown asvertical, is folded and retained as by stitches 7 to form substantiallya welt 8. The rotatable member or spool at has a longitudinal slot 9which extends substantially its length. The transverse end portion ofthe strip 5 is slipped upwardly into the slot 9 so that the welt 8 isinteriorly held Within the spool. The spool has an upper head 10 and alower head 11. These heads may be similarly stamped out, reducingproduction costs, and as shown each is formed with an annular flange 12by which the upper and lower end portions respectively of the spool aretightly embraced. The spool is preferably formed from a substantiallyoblong piece of sheet metal having slightly enlarged end portions sothat, when rolled into tubular form, the enlarged ends will be broughtinto contact while the major longitudinal edge portions of the metalsheet will thus, in cylindrical form, be spaced apart and form the slot9. Thus the heads 10 and 11 respectively retain the slot ends closed andthe welted fabric after insertion is securely but ,demountably held. Thehandle 6 comprises preferably a piece of sheet metal formed toconstitute a longitudinally slotted cylinder, the outer transverse endof the fabric 5 being similarly welted and slipped within the slot. Thefabric is therein held by means of a tapered plug or stud 13 which, whenpressed within the end of the handle, functions to wedge the strip welt8 betweenits tapered face and the inner face of the handle and hencedemountably to hold the strip therein. A'pin 14; is preferablytransversely inserted in a hole through the lower portion of the studand is afforded freedom of movement by means of the apertures 15longitudinally made in the cylindrical handle. This pin has the functionof preventing the removal of the stud from the handle with itsconsequent liability to misplaeement and also of facilitatingmanipulation of the stud in the insertion and removal of the strip.

The spool is rotatably mounted preferably in upright position, i. 0.,substantially parallel to the position normally assumed by the telephoneinstrument to which it is affixed. lVhile the spool may be so mounted invarious ways and by various means, it is preferably held in rotatablesuspended position through bearing means in the upper portion ofthe'casing. The lower end of the spool is provided with a guiding meansand such is the function of the annular head 11. The outside diameter ofthe head 11 slightly less than the inside diameter of the casing 1 sothat upon rotation of the spool within the casing 1, frictional contactof the two surfaces is reduced practically to a minimum. The upper head10 is apertured to receive a post 15 therethrough by which the spool issupported. A novel means of effecting such support is to provide thepost with a transverse boring adjacent its lower end and to inserttherethrough a pin 16. This upper head 10 is centrally apertured andradiating.

The post 15 is preferably cylindrical and is rotatably mounted and heldunder adjustable rotative tension within the spring chamber formed bythe cap 19 and spring tension means are positioned within this chamberto cooperate with the post and thus to govern normally the spoolmovement so that the strip may be retained wound thereabout. A coiledspring 20 is preferably employed, one end being held in relatively fixedposition while the other end is secured to the rotatable spool post 15.

In this improved form of index, there has been provided novel andimproved means for securing the fixed end of the coiled spring inrelatively immovable position within the spring chamber, and forstabilizing and holding the post in approximately vertical positionduring its movements. In the former types the relatively stationaryspring end was anchored in openingscut in the casing cap or the springend was provided with a key-hole slot and hooked to a projection in astamped outportion of the casing. Herein, such devices are dispensedwith and the attendant production operations and labor are obviated andthe speed and simplicity of assemblage and detachment are augmented. Asdisclosed in this elected embodiment, the spring 20 has secured theretoat the outer end, as by a rivet 21, a complementary spring member 22.This complementary member is preferably wider than the spring so that alongitudinal portion may be seated in the anniu lar recess 23 formed inthe interior of the cap by turning the circular wall of the "cap uponitself. Thus not only is such annular recess formed but also there isprovided a flange by which the cap so fits the casing end that it isheld against the torque of the spring in operation and yet may bemanually turned to increase or diminish the effeetive spring tensionacting upon the post. This complementary spring member is of similar,resilient metal material and the spring end is so secured thereto (wideFig. 4) that, when the member is seated in the annular recess, the lowerlongitudinal edge of the coiled spring is substantially on the closed inFig. 2. The complementary member, when in position, tensionably bearsthroughout its width against the inner face of the cap and thus is heldin constant frictional engagement therewith against any tendency torotation induced by the torque of the coiled spring. By such novelfrictional means is the stationary end of the post spring held.

The post 15, projecting upwardly into the spring chamber formed by thiscap 19, has preferably a transverse end slot 24 into which the other orinner spring end is passed. A collar 25, having a rounded edge opening26, is placed upon the post and not only functions to hold this springend securely in position but the rounded edges of the opening 26 affordsubstantially a spiral guiding media to the entrant spring portion, thusminimizing any unusual bending stress which would be present were theturn sharply defined. Novel means are also interposed to retain the postin substantially upright position so that it may not assume an angularposition with respect to the aXis of the spool and tend to jam. A simplemeans of achieving this purpose is the stabilizer which comprises aperferably sheet metal disk 27 having an annular flange 28. The disk iscentrally apertured and receives therethrough the upper portion of thepost 15. The diameter of this disk is such that it does not contact withthe adjacent inner face of the cap but is retained in substantiallyhorizontal position by contact with the plurality of coils of the springand with the collar 25. The stabilizer disk 27 is retained upon the postas by a cotter pin 29 which is positioned within an aperturetherethrough. The height of the disk flange is such that it does notcontact with the cover 30 of the cap 19.

The spring-controlled spool is thus rotatably suspended within thecasing in such manner that only a modicum of friction is entailed by themoving parts. The head 11 at the lower end of the spool which functions,as stated above, as a lower guiding means, freely turns in the casing.This lower casing end is so protected and reinforced that distortionunder working conditions is obviated. These protecting instrumentalitiesfunction also to close the outer casing slot 83. Such instrumentalitiesmay be removable or may be permanently affixed to the casing. But, theyare preferably positioned with a driving fit, the finish of the casingbeing thereafter applied so that a substantially foolproof closure isthereby attained. A flanged cap 31 is inserted within the casing end andassumes a position as shown in Fig. 2 such that its base can not contactwith the cap 11 of the spool end. This cap 31 is of such dimensions thatit functions to preserve the inside gage'of the casing end. As a matterof simplification of production of parts it may be noted that the cap 31and the stabilizer disk 27 are similar and made by the same operation,the parts to be used as the disk being apertured to receive the post.The cap 32 is fitted to the casing end, its flange upwardly projectingto embrace tightly the casing end portion so that such portion isdoubly'protected and retained in the desired shape and gage againstfactors tending to its distortion under the most severe serviceconditions.

Facility of operation and of maintenance is assured by the constructionprovisions minimizing friction between the moving parts. Themanufacturing costs have been greatly reduced and the production of theparts and the assembling thereof into the completed unit have both beensimplified while efficiency has been increased. More particularly, theconstruction of the spring chamber, formed by the casing upper cap, hasbeen simplified and the anchorage of the relatively stationary springend portion has been made more efliciently simple both in production andin rapidity and ease both of assemblage and of demounting forreplacement, repair or other contingencies.

It is to be understood that the construction disclosed herein isillustrative but not restrictive and that the same may be modifiedwithin the meaning and scope of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical easing having alongitudinal slot, a member rotatably secured in said casing, a cap forsaid casing, a spring, said cap having an annular recess to receive andfrictionally to retain one end portion of the spring, means for securingthe other springend portion to the rotatable member, and a flexibleindicia-bearing means secured to said rotatable member and adapted to bedrawn out through the casing slot against the tension ofthe spring andthereby returned when released.

2. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical casing having alongitudinal slot, a member rotatably secured in said casing, a cap forsaid casing, an annular flange on said cap presenting an interiorannular recess, a spring having one end secured to said rotatablemember, and the other end portion frictionally retained in the caprecess, and a flexible indicia-bearing means secured to the rotatablemember and adapted to be drawn out through the casing slot against thetension of the spring and thereby returned when released.

3. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical casing having alongitudinal slot, a member rotatably secured in said casing, a cap forsaid casing, said cap havlng an interior annular recess, a spring havmgone end secured to said rotatable member, a complementary spring membersemeans secured to the rotatable member and adapted to be drawn outthrough the casing 19 slot against the tension of the spring and therebyreturned when released.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 7 name to this specification.

FREDERICK W. COLBY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

